Eunice Cole

Eunice Cole (c. 1590, England - October 1680, Hampton, New Hampshire, USA), maiden name unknown, was a woman from the coast of New Hampshire. Better known as "Goody Cole", she is the only woman convicted of witchcraft in New Hampshire. [There is conflicting opinion about whether Cole was actually convicted. John Putnam Demos argues that she likely wasn't convicted because witchcraft was a capital crime and she was not executed (See Demos, p. 322; 494-496, nn. 48-49) but Carol Karlsen cites several instances of women who were convicted yet not executed (See Karlsen, p. 53; p. 283 nn. 21)]

Family

Her husband was William Cole. There are no records of this union producing children, although since they came to this country when they were already well past childbearing age, it is certainly possible that they had children in England. Both of them were indentured servants of Mr. Matthew Craddock, a wealthy London merchant. After their service with Charles/Matthew Craddock was over, the Coles were released from Craddock's service they came to New England with their passage furnished, for £10. In Boston they were granted two acres of land in Mount Wollaston (now Quincy), Massachusetts on February 20, 1637, though they left for Exeter, New Hampshire before the year was out. Both of the Coles were followers of Reverend John Wheelwright, who believed in antinomianism. Very soon after, they moved to neighboring Hampton, New Hampshire, receiving a 40 acre parcel of land. The convert|5|acre|m2|sing=on house lot was situated slightly east of where the Baptist church stands today on Winnacunnet Road. The other 35 acres was a good source of income, considering William Cole was a carpenter. William Cole died on May 26, 1662.

Witchcraft accusations

Cole was formally accused of witchcraft three times in her lifetime, the first time in Boston in 1656 when several townspeople testified against her. She was whipped and imprisoned until in 1660, but was released until 1662 when she was returned to prison until sometime between 1668 and 1671. She was accused again in 1673, but acquitted, and once again in 1690, and although she was not indicted, she was still kept in prison. [Karlsen, Carol F. pp. 52-57 in "The Devil in the Shape of a Woman: Witchcraft in Colonial New England". W.W. Norton, New York, 1987. ISBN 0-679-72184-3]

Upon her death in 1680 she was hastily buried in an unmarked grave in Hampton; its whereabouts is still not known with any certainty to this day, although it is believed to be near the site of today's Tuck Museum. Local legends suggest that a stake was driven into her body after her death "in order to exorcise the baleful influence she was supposed to have possessed," and a horseshoe hung on the stake, just to be on the safe side. In truth Goody Cole was almost certainly unpleasant in the extreme - Hampton historian Joseph Dow referred to her as "ill-natured and ugly, artful and aggravating, malicious and revengeful" - but certainly not a witch.

Goody Cole in the 20th century

In anticipation of the 300th anniversary of the town of Hampton in 1938, people organized in 1937 to clear Cole's name, forming "The Society in Hampton Beach for the Apprehension of Those Falsely Accusing Eunice (Goody) Cole of Having Familiarity With the Devil" -- usually shortened to the "Goody Cole Society" ["Goody Cole Society Formed in 1937," by William D. Cram, "Boston Sunday Post", October 3, 1937] A doll in her image was made and sold locally. [ [http://www.hampton.lib.nh.us/hampton/biog/goodycoledoll1938.htm Tuck Museum Wants 'Goody' Cole Doll! ] ]

In 2003, a barbecue restaurant opened in Exeter, NH, with the name "Goody Cole's Smokehouse," relocating in 2006 to Brentwood, NH. [ [http://www.goodycoles.com/about_us.html Goody Cole's Smokehouse - Barbecue ] ]

In literature

John Greenleaf Whittier tells Cole's tale in his poem, [http://www.hampton.lib.nh.us/hampton/history/dow/chap2/rivermth.htm "Wreck at Rivermouth."]

ee also

*Mount Wollaston
*Hampton, New Hampshire

External links

* [http://www.hampton.lib.nh.us/hampton/biog/goody.htm Lane Memorial Library website on Goody Cole]
* [http://www.seacoastnh.com/women/cole.html seacoastnh.com website on Goody Cole]

Notes and Reference

*Demos, John Putnam. Chapter 10: "From Generation to Generation," pp. 313-339 in "Entertaining Satan: Witchcraft and the Culture of Early New England, Oxford University Press, New York, 1982. ISBN 0-19-503378-7
*Hall, David D. Chapter 14: "Vehement Suspicion: Eunice Cole of Hampton (1656-1680)," pp. 213-229 in"Witch-Hunting in Seventeenth Century New England: A Documentary History 1638-1695". 2nd edition. Northeastern University Press, Boston, 1999. ISBN 1-55553-415-5